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BCCI faces tough questions for 2026: Captaincy dilemma, where is Project Gambhir headed, and how to manage Kohli, Rohit
It's a year of transition for Indian cricket, but success is a non-negotiable at this point in time. Existential questions to be answered, and heads might roll.
Fair to say, 2025 was a mixed bag for the Indian men’s cricket team.
In Tests, it bade farewell to two of its greatest servants of the last generation, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepped away within days of one another. A series surrendered to Australia for the first time in a decade, a 2-0 drubbing at home to South Africa – but a fighting 2-2 series draw visiting England with a rookie captain with dozens of memorable moments.
In T20I cricket, dominance extended, an Asia Cup lifted, but a lot of quiet turmoil behind the scenes as things chopped and changed, not putting too much confidence in how stable the environment might be for the shortest format. In the 50-over format, hands finally on an ICC trophy with the Champions Trophy win earlier in the year, but a captaincy change and some roughness around the edges as games become fewer and further between.
What this means is that Indian cricket, currently in a state of transition and trying to find its footing on all fronts, will have a lot of thinking to do as the calendar turns over into 2026. Questions that will be raised in press boxes and newspaper columns, but can only be answered on the playing field. Here are some of the most pertinent.
How much confidence can Gautam Gambhir inspire with no major Test series?
Gautam Gambhir’s start to life as coach of the Indian Test team hasn’t been a happy won. Two series won against Bangladesh and West Indies, one drawn in England, and three series lost – two of those at home, dropping five matches to South Africa and New Zealand, and severely lagging in the World Test Championship race early on.
Simply put, it’s not good enough from Gautam Gambhir. While he makes a salient point regarding patience during a transition, these limp efforts need to be fixed soon. But the concern is that India play no Test cricket until August against Sri Lanka, followed by a trip to New Zealand late in the year. With Australia at home around the corner in 2027, Gambhir won’t have much time to prove himself to the doubters with regards to the red ball. How much can he accomplish with limited matches?
The succession plan for Suryakumar Yadav in T20I cricket?
Two months ago, Shubman Gill was named vice-captain for the T20I team, ruffling feathers as he came in at the top of the order. Now, with the T20 World Cup two months away, he has been dropped from the T20I squad altogether, Axar Patel renamed vice-captain.
Turning 36 next year, Suryakumar Yadav knows that his future as skipper is likely not a long one. But in that case, if India do move on soon after the World Cup or the IPL, who takes over the reins? Is there any player who will have the leadership potential to step into his shoes for the long-term? Hardik Pandya might be the obvious solution within the current ranks, but then why is he not the current vice-captain for the team? Or is it simply that Axar Patel will be able to call himself an Indian captain come 2027? Lots of questions, and a lot more opinions – not everyone will be happy.
How can Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stay sharp through the year with limited ODI cricket?
The one thing Indian fans will be very happy about at the close of 2025 is that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in red-hot form. Now only playing 50-over cricket – always their best format, and still at the top of ICC’s rankings – their chance to get competitive action in the 22 months separating us from the next ODI World Cup will only get slimmer.
While 2027 will certainly see plenty of ODI cricket lined up in preparation, how often will the two veterans play in 2026? There will be the IPL and odd series through the year, but the BCCI might feel the need to step up preparations even higher to keep the ageing superstars at their sharpest.
Is the 2026 T20I World Cup at home a must-win tournament?
India enter the home World Cup as defending champions, and given the last two or three years of T20I cricket, will be the heavy favourites. With that and home conditions in mind, the expectation will be to win – nothing short of that will serve.
If Suryakumar Yadav and his men fall at some stage of the tournament – in the shortest format, there are always teams that can hurt you – how significant will the fallout be? There already seems to be at least some degree of push-and-pull between Gautam Gambhir helming the team and the BCCI higher-ups. It could prove to be the tipping point for the relationship, and might just spell the end of this particular project.
